1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical devices and, more particularly, to a method for mass producing individualized medical devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical devices, such as orthopedic implants, are often produced in a range of sizes. By analyzing a patient's anatomy and/or taking measurements of the same, a surgeon may identify the size of the patient's anatomy to be replaced and/or replicated by the medical device. The surgeon will then select the medical device that most closely approximates the patient's natural anatomy. However, in making this selection, the surgeon is limited to the sizes of medical devices offered by the manufacturer.
In order to provide a better correlation between the patient's natural anatomy and the medical device, a custom medical device may be produced. In order to produce a custom medical device that will replicate the natural anatomy, detailed measurements of the patient's natural anatomy are taken and provided to a manufacturer of medical devices. The manufacturer may then design a new medical device or alter an existing medical device to better match the anatomy of the individual patient. Once created, the custom medical device is then provided to the requesting surgeon for implantation. While a custom medical device may provide a better match with an individual patient's anatomy, the patient's surgery may be delayed while the custom medical device is being manufactured. Additionally, the cost of manufacturing a custom medical device may be prohibitive.
As an alternative to custom devices, medical device lines have been created that cater to the needs of a specific subset of the global population. While this increases the potential for achieving a better correlation between a patient's natural anatomy and the medical device, it also increases the manufacturing and inventorying costs for the medical device manufacturer.